Chapter 2

I lay awake all night.

The next day, using the excuse of dropping off lunch, I went to Hudson University Medical Center.

I wanted to see exactly what kind of incredible woman she was. If I was going to lose, I wanted to know why.

The elevator chimed on the cardiothoracic surgery administrative floor.

Holding the lunchbox, I turned the corner toward Ethan's office and stopped. A young nurse was standing by his door.

She held a glass of warm water, knocking gently.

"Dr. Cole? It's time to hydrate."

Her voice was soft. Sickly sweet.

The door opened.

The moment Ethan took the glass, I saw the tenderness in his eyes.

I knew that look too well.

He used to look at me like that.

But there was something else in his eyes, too. Guilt.

Why would he feel guilty?

I pushed the door open and walked in.

Ethan froze for a split second before smoothly recovering his composure.

"Claire. This is our new nurse, Maya Hart."

Maya.

So the name in his reminder app belonged to her.

I set the lunchbox on his desk and offered a razor-thin smile.

"You certainly take good care of the new staff, Dr. Cole."

Maya's cheeks flushed. She ducked her head and scurried out of the office.

Ethan walked over, reaching out to hug me.

I took a step back.

"I just missed you. Wanted to see you."

The words tasted like ash in my mouth.

When I got home, I immediately called Natalie.

She was my best friend and worked in the hospital's administration department. She knew everything that went on in that building.

"Look into someone for me. The new nurse in cardiothoracic surgery, Maya Hart."

An hour later, Natalie texted back.

Maya was famous in the hospital.

She wasn't just a nurse. Rumor had it she was the one who saved his life.

I stared at the screen, an icy chill creeping over my skin.

Five years ago, Ethan had been in a horrific car crash. According to the hospital gossip, a girl passing by had stopped the bleeding and performed first aid, buying him enough time for the ambulance to arrive.

Everyone said that girl was Maya.

But five years ago, the person who saved Ethan was me.

I was still in architecture school back then.

I had been walking past the crash site and saw him lying in a pool of blood. I used my own handkerchief to apply pressure to his wound and performed first aid exactly as I had been trained, keeping him breathing until the paramedics took over.

I didn't even stay until he woke up.

Years of marriage, and it was entirely outweighed by a lie he chose to believe.

Natalie sat across from me at a cafe, her face etched with concern.

"Jesus, Claire, you look like hell."

"Show me what she's posted publicly."

Natalie opened Instagram.

Her feed was a digital shrine to her daily life with Ethan.

One photo showed her standing in front of a building, the very building I had designed.

The caption read: He said this is the empire he built for me.

That building was my masterpiece.

Ethan had never said anything like that to me.

The next photo featured the custom fountain pen I had gifted Ethan.

Maya was holding it. The caption read: Writing my name with his pen.

My fingers began to tremble.

But the most devastating photo was taken on the day I was hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis.

Maya had taken a selfie lying in a hospital bed. In the background was Ethan's back. He was leaning over, tucking her in.

The caption read: He says I'm his sun, and I'm not allowed to get sick.

On that exact day, Ethan had told me he was flying out of the country for an emergency medical symposium and would be unreachable for three days.

He never left the country.

He was in a private room upstairs in the exact same hospital, taking care of another woman.

I had been alone in the ER holding area, curled into a ball of agony while an IV dripped into my arm. When the nurses asked about my family, I made excuses for him. I told them he was at a conference abroad. The nurses just gave me pitying looks, saying it was normal not to have anyone around.

I had even felt bad for him, thinking he was working too hard.

"That bitch," Natalie spat, slamming her coffee cup down.

"Ethan is a piece of shit. He knew you were in the ER holding area, and he lied about a conference so he could play nursemaid to her upstairs. He knew exactly what he was doing."

I laughed. A dry, scraping sound that brought tears to my eyes.

He promised he would always take care of me.

I was such a fool.

I was the only one kept in the dark.